The conventional means for securing coiled products to the core involves tightening a strap, applying a piece of strong adhesive tape, or wrapping and tying a string or the like across the shaped bundle and through the center of the core at spaced intervals. These straps, upon tightening, frequently cause the portion of the coiled product which is exposed along the sides and around the perimeter of the bundle to become deformed or damaged, and may cause bending or cracking under pressure. Furthermore, during transport and storage, damage may occur if the bundle is positioned so that the straps are pressed against the sides of the bundle by a truck bed, warehouse floor or adjacent bundles in stacked configuration.
In the past, and as described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,840,274 to Young issued Jun. 20, 1989, flat pieces of paperboard or corrugated doughnut-shaped buffer means have been placed between the side portions of the bundles and the strap retainers in an effort to protect the outer layer of coiled product. While these doughnuts are capable of protecting the coiled product located along the sides of the bundle from damage, they do not possess the ability of protecting that portion of the coiled product located around the perimeter of the bundle because their circular design will not accommodate successful folding such that protection of these strands can be accomplished.
The bundles are then delivered to the distributer and ultimate users where they are placed onto a dispensing apparatus which delivers lengths of the coiled product suitable for its intended purpose. Dispensing apparatus usually comprise a shaft or rod onto which the core of the coiled bundle is rotatably-mounted for unraveling. Protective circular flanges are positioned so as to abut the coiled bundle at either side and in a substantially parallel relationship in an effort to stabilize the coil during unraveling.
Before such lengths of coiled product can be dispensed, however, the securing straps or ties must be cut. When this is done, the coil frequently loosens, becoming incapable of maintaining its shape and compacted integrity. All too often the strands become lodged in gaps between the flange and outer surface of the coil which retards or, in some instances, prevents dispensing of the strands. The gaps are caused by warping or bending of the flange portions of the dispensing unit during use. Strands are further permitted to become lodged when no guide means exists to adequately control the strand's lateral movement during unraveling.
Attempts have been made to avoid strands from lodging in gaps through the use of the corrugated doughnut-shaped buffer means described above. As stated, these doughnuts are secured to the bundle with retaining straps or strings, and ultimately are situated between the coil bundle and flanges so as to fill any gaps that may exist. The use of doughnuts are, however, undesirable, not only for their failure to protect the coiled product along the bundle's perimeter, but also because they impede visual inspection of the product during display and use. Furthermore, the doughnuts require the use of a greater amount of protective material than does the present invention, summarized below.